MLB notes: Beckett set for mound comeback

Josh Beckett said he will be ready for the start of the Dodgers' season after having a rib removed last July in a surgery to alleviate a nerve condition that was affecting his right arm

"I don't have numbness and tingling, anymore," Beckett said Monday.

No doubts, either.

The right-hander is expected to battle newly acquired Paul Maholm for the fifth spot in the Dodgers' starting rotation this spring. Beckett, the fifth starter before last year's mid-season surgery, breezed through his first bullpen session Monday in Arizona. He threw 30 pitches with no sign of trouble.

"I'm not tentative," said Beckett, who reported to camp a day late so he could attend a wedding. "I'm going to throw as hard as I can and see what happens. Right now, I feel great. I'll throw the ball until I blow out and I'm hoping that's not for a few more years."

The Dodgers' signing of Maholm on Saturday is considered a hedge against the possibility of further injury to Beckett, a three-time All-Star whom the Dodgers acquired from Boston along with Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto in a 2012 trade.

"Josh is doing really well, but he's coming off tough surgery and there's not a lot of history with that surgery, so we'll see where things go," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said.

Beckett underwent the same surgical procedure that former St. Louis Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter underwent in July 2012. Carpenter went on to pitch in six more games in 2012 — three in the regular season and three in the playoffs. But Carpenter did not pitch in 2013. He announced his retirement in November.

DOING BUSINESS: Royals pitchers and catchers report to Arizona for the start of spring training on Friday, and that presumably means All-Star closer Greg Holland will be there.

Of course, there's a little business that still needs to be finished.

Holland is eligible for arbitration and the two sides have yet to reach an agreement. He asked for $5.2 million after going 2-1 with a 1.21 ERA and 47 saves, while the Royals offered $4.1 million. Either way, it's a big bump from the $539,000 he made last season. Hearings run through Feb. 21.

YANKEES: Derek Jeter said the New York Yankees have no choice but to move forward now that Alex Rodriguez has accepted his suspension for the 2014 season.

Rodriguez ended his extended and acrimonious fight with Major League Baseball on Friday, withdrawing a pair of lawsuits that were filed in an attempt to overturn a season-long ban for his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal — the longest penalty in the sport's history related to performance-enhancing drugs.

Jeter spoke Monday at the Yankees' minor league complex. He said he has texted with A-Rod since the lawsuits were dropped.

"He's not here for this season, so we're going to have to find ways to win with the team that we have," Jeter said at the Yankees' minor league complex. "It's a complicated situation, but it's pretty much played out. That's what has happened."

SHORT HOPS: Twins GM Terry Ryan said he has been diagnosed with a form of skin cancer and he will not be with the team for the start of spring training so he can focus on treatment and recovery. ... RHP Tyler Clippard and the Washington Nationals agreed on a one-year contract, avoiding arbitration. Clippard's deal means all eight Nationals players who initially filed for arbitration wound up settling before a hearing.